The invention relates to arming of munitions and firearms.
In the United States it has been estimated that 60% of all gun deaths occur because of non-owner use of weapons, these deaths include a child suicide by use of a handgun every eight hours, and that every three years more children die from gunshot injuries than US troops killed during the Vietnam war.
It is also estimated that firearms in homes are forty-three times more likely to kill a family member than an intruder. One in four homes has a handgun making a total of 70 million homes with handguns of which it is estimated that 40% are left unlocked in homes.
Thus there is clearly a need for weapons which can only be armed for use by authorised users.
Several attempts have been made over the years to provide weapons which can be disarmed, such that they can not function in the hands of unauthorised users, by the addition of locking/keying technology but these have not proved successful.
It is understood that the Justice Department in the U.S. has funded a program with Colt""s Manufacturing to pursue an electronic disarming system for disabling the existing mechanical system on hand guns. However the resultant guns are heavy and bulky, are less reliable, and are expensive. Furthermore the inconvenience of arming and disarming such guns would tend to discourages regular use of the disarming system.
Moreover and importantly it is difficult to lock the mechanical operating mechanism electronically for simple safe and reliable operation and generally the link between the electronic lock and the mechanics of such guns is not very difficult to defeat.
This invention aims to alleviate at least one of the above disadvantages and to provide armable and disarmable munitions and firearms which will be reliable and efficient in use.
With the foregoing in view this invention in one aspect resides broadly in electronically operated munitions and firearms having electronically coded arming means for activating the electronics which cause firing.
Suitably the electronically operated munitions and firearms are of the type having a plurality of projectiles stacked axially within a barrel together with discrete selectively ignitable propellant charges for propelling the projectiles sequentially through the muzzle of the barrel and in which selective ignition of the propellant charges is electronically controlled. Such firearms will be referred to hereinafter as of the type described.
More preferably the electronically operated muinitions and firearms are of the type described in my International Patent Applications Nos.: PCT/AU94/00124 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,329 and divisional patent U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,007) and PCT/AU96/00459 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,395) and co-pending patent applications in my name and which typically include a number of barrels packed in a tight group, without any mechanical firing mechanisms.
In small handguns of this type, which may be operated by a small electronic controller, it is preferred that the pistol grip or butt house electronic controls as well as the electronically coded arming means. If desired part of the electronics and especially the coded arming means may be supported in a removable section similar to a plug-in xe2x80x9cmagazinexe2x80x9d.
For example, the coded arming means in the plug-in electronic insert may be electronically personalised to the individual and carried separately for insertion into a weapon to arm the weapon. Alternatively the coded arming means may be a swipe card or the like carried by the authorised personnel for arming weapons by associating the card with the weapon in the appropriate manner.
The electronics could be programmed to activate authorised weapons only, and preferably the electronics in either or both the weapon and the authorised persons card or other removable coded arming means contain a safe memory which could be interrogated by authorised audit personnel only, to provide such information as date, time of each firing associated with the particular magazine/insert etc.
The weapon or the electronic insert could be provided with a key pad or a card swipe or either could be programmed to recognize biometric data which retains a lifelong distinctive identity of the authorised personnel, and preferably which may be analysed quickly and non-invasively, to provide an arming signal when authorised personnel are sensed as being in control of the weapon. If desired, a personalised transducer could be secured on the body of the authorised personnel or on their clothing to provide arming of the weapons which the authorised person is entitled to use.
For this purpose the magazine/insert or weapon would contain lenses, transducers or contact patches, for example, such as for verifying matching eye details, voice recognition or a fingerprint or other biometric data which are characteristic to each individual.
In one form the electronic magazine/insert or weapon would contain position electronics, such as GPS such that place and or direction of firing could also be recorded for subsequent interrogation. This technology can give real time activity data for relay to a control center, either in battle or training.
In this manner the issuing of firearms or electronic activators for same, as in the form of a plug-in magazine/insert, could be accompanied by a personalising program for the activator, whereafter if desired, every firing, including place, time, date, direction, etc. would be recorded.
It is also preferred that an LCD screen be provided so that the operator can call up an array of recorded and operating information. This may include, for example, reminders for reloading, cleaning and license renewal, all weapon settings, including rounds remaining, weapon readiness state and diagnostics.
Handguns would suitably be provided with audio capability built into the electronics, whereby the weapon would be set to audibly confirm all settings etc. For instance, for home defence, it may well be an advantage to have a weapon the announces xe2x80x9cWeapon Active, Safety Offxe2x80x9d etc. The owner would be sure of the condition of the weapon, and so would any intruder.
For some applications, such as for military or civil use it is also preferred that the electronics be provide with remote arming/disarming functions. This would enable authorised persons to remotely deactivate all weapons within a given area to provide a safe area, or to selectively provide safe and active areas in which weapons were armed.
As well, although much more important for larger military weapons, the electronics may incorporate any of a range of sensors at the muzzle, to confirm, for example, that a round has left the muzzle when fired. If a hang fire occurs, or a parked projectile exists, the electronic sensors, being on the same circuit as the firing impulse, can automatically disable the barrel before another round is fired, and also provide a message to the operator.
The sensors can focus on any of a number of events that confirm the projectile that""s been fired has left the barrel. Upon firing a metal mass passes the muzzle. There""s also a pressure event, a temperature event, a recoil event, a visible and invisible radiation event, and a gas jetting event. All these could be sensed and utilised as desired.
In such weapons which utilise full electronic operation there are no mechanical moving operating parts and if the weapons electronics can""t be accessed, the weapon cannot be operated. The electronics can""t be bypassed to permit operation of the mechanical system, as none exists and damaging the electronics in any attempt to operate the weapon will also render the weapon unserviceable. Furthermore no unauthorised individual can operate the weapon, and unauthorised resale may also be prevented as an up to date database could be maintained with correspondence of recorded owner/user information required to complete a transaction, require re-programming of the new or changed circumstances.
Agency-only access to the weapon""s electronic history could also be provided together with agency-only reset of individual weapon keying to control resale and theft. The electronics may also have a permanent disable command and other controls such as electronic selection of rate of fire.